Everything Looks Different in the Light
by MidnightGenius
Summary: Sequal to Everything Looks Different in the Dark, taking place after Naruto's little run in with Sasuke in Naruto II. So Naruto is a wee bit upset that his former best friend told him that he was going to kill him because he felt like it. Wouldn't you be?
1. Chapter 1

I know I said it would be up a few days after I finished Everything Looks Different in the Dark, but I had minor issues and time consumtions... so here it is

this chapter is dedicated to the HD Slash fanfictions which have been stealing away my typing time and my interest: Twist of Betrayal, and Take the Tiger by the Tail. Both of which are excellent. I've never seen a more in character HD fic than Take the Tiger by the Tail. Ofcourse, I'm also new to HP fanfiction... though I did recently write one...

Anyway, I do apologize for taking so long, but here it is, the sequal. Which includes, as always, angsty Naruto, protective Gaara, and maybe even some NejiTen hints :P

* * *

"So, I see Sakura and Sai are here, but where is Naruto?" Tsunade questioned the leader of their team. 

"He-"

"In Suna." Sakura replied, interrupting before the team captain could say anything.

"What is he doing in Suna?"

"He said he-"

"Visiting with Gaara." Sakura interrupted again.

Tsunade sighed. "Why?"

"Tsunade-sama we… we met up with…" her voice faltered and the name came as only a whisper "Sasuke."

"And?"

"He said things…to Naruto…he was really thrown off by them and wasn't acting like himself at all… with all due respect Tsunade-sama, he needed to see Gaara."

"Is there something going on between them that I don't know about?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"It's not my place to say Tsunade-sama, I apologize."

Tsunade was about to respond when a knock on the door and a voice proclaiming "Hokage-sama, there's a letter for you from Suna" interrupted her.

"Let me see it." Tsunade took the letter from Shizune and read it. "Sakura, stay. The rest of you are dismissed."

"Tsunade-sama…"

"It's from Naruto. Or rather, it's from Gaara about Naruto… Here, read."

Hokage,

Uzumaki Naruto will be under my care for a while. He tells me that he wishes to remain in Suna for a while until such time as he recovers from a recent encounter with a former team-mate, the details of which he has refused to inform me. I will send him home with an escort as soon as he informs me of his desire to return.

-Kazekage

"Sit, Sakura. I want the whole story, what happened?"

"But-"

"I want to know what could drive Naruto to the point where the only person he feels safe with is Gaara."

"Alright…"

* * *

Naruto looked up from staring at the floor when Gaara walked back in the door.

"Did you send it?"

"I did." Gaara replied. He walked over to his bed, where Naruto sat, and sat beside him, looking into his eyes. "Do you want to tell me now?"

His only answer was Naruto resuming his staring contest with the floor while shaking his head.

"When you're ready." Gaara stated, wiping a lone tear from Naruto's eye before he pulled the boy to him.

"Gaara…"

"Yes?"

"Can you…sleep?"

"I can but…I haven't been able to yet. Scared, I guess."

"Could you sleep with me…like before?"

Gaara nodded before gathering Naruto in his arms. It would definitely be easier, he thought, with Naruto by his side.


	2. Chapter 2

This is probably the only time you will get updates so close. Granted, I did update something with three chapters at once, but that was only because I had them typed out and hadn't posted them yet. Enjoy your...almost double update

* * *

Temari was silenced as soon as she entered her brother's room by a cold glare from Naruto, which was replaced by a smile when he looked down at Gaara. 

"Is he sleeping?" Temari whispered the question as she walked over to Gaara's bedside.

Naruto nodded and smiled gently as he moved hair away from Gaara's face, away from the 'Ai' on his forehead.

"Oh, he's so cute." She giggled softly

Naruto only nodded, and as Temari left, he continued to watch Gaara's sleeping face. He planted a gentle kiss on Gaara's lips. They were warm… and soft. Comforted, Naruto laid his head over Gaara's heart and closed his eyes, letting Gaara's heartbeat lull him to sleep.

* * *

When Gaara woke up, Naruto was sleeping in his arms and Temari was sitting in a chair by his side.

"Morning Gaara." She said quietly, but only half-cheerfully. "You know, you slept straight for two days."

"I…slept?" The concept was new to Gaara. Sleeping… It felt good… strange, but good.

"Yep. We're all very proud of you Gaara. Honestly I can see why you didn't sleep for longer, no sleep for fifteen years. Naruto hasn't left your side once, hasn't said a word either. We're worried about him Gaara, he hasn't even eaten anything."

"I'm worried about him too, Tem. He won't tell me what happened, but when his teammates dropped him off here, he was a mess. He got even worse, when it was just he and I; I think he was hiding his sadness for them." Gaara gently brushed stray hairs from Naruto's face before cupping his cheek. "At least he's not as bad as he was three years ago." Gaara pulled his hand away, or would have if a whimper from Naruto and a hand over his hadn't stopped him. Gaara smiled sadly and pulled Naruto into his lap, supporting his head over his own heart, and gently stroked his hair.

Temari looked at him questioningly and asked, "This isn't the first time, is it?"

Gaara shook his head. "Three years ago, he was much worse. That's why I didn't come back with you. At that time, he told me that Iruka used to do this for him a lot when he was a child, or even later when he needed it."

"Iruka?"

"The first person that ever acknowledged him."

"Shikamaru told me…"

"The boyfriend?"

"He's not-" Temari was about to launch into a whispered tirade about how Shikamaru was not her boyfriend when Gaara stopped her. Her anger was visibly upsetting Naruto, something he didn't need after he had worked so long to get Naruto to a point where he could smile again.

"Temari, I need to be alone with him for a while."

She nodded and left, closing the door as Naruto opened his eyes.

"Sorry, did Temari wake you?"

Naruto shook his head "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you Naru-chan." Gaara smiled before kissing the blonde boy in his lap. "Now," He intertwined the fingers on his right hand with those on Naruto's, as his other arm was currently around Naruto's waist. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Naruto paused for a long time before he spoke, and when he did his voice was full of pain, and unshed tears. "I met up with Sasuke again. He said that I'd never be Hokage, called me worthless. Even after I told him that Orochimaru only wanted to use his body, he didn't care. As long as he was strong, he said, he didn't care if it wasn't him in the body. He said he had chose to spare my life merely on a whim, and that he would kill me on a whim. I don't know if my Sasuke is dead or just buried. I-" Naruto could no longer hold back the tears, Gaara just held him close and let him cry.

It was a long time before either of them said anything, and even then, it was only Gaara saying, "You know I'd never leave you like that, right Naruto?"

Naruto only responded with a nod before he drifted into a painful slumber, cradled by Gaara's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Due to the fact that it refuses to let me edit on this chapter will be a little bit…weird.

For the second section, the letter: Originally, I had one conversation on the right, one on the left, and the letter in the middle. However, refused to transfer this onto the document. So, here's what I'm doing. The **bold** print is Naruto and Gaara as they are writing the letter, and the _italics _is Tsunade and Sakura as they are reading it.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The next time he woke, screaming, in the middle of the night, Gaara was at his side in less than a heartbeat. Naruto figured that he probably had been sleeping by his side, and after recovering from the fear of his dream he apologized profusely to Gaara for waking him when he returned from sending the ANBU guard away. Gaara wouldn't have it though. He merely hushed Naruto and told him to go back to sleep, that he would be there when Naruto woke up. He was.

The next night, Naruto managed to stifle his scream. However, apparently Gaara was a light sleeper because he was still at his side and holding him in the same amount of time, if not less, as Naruto screamed into his hand. This time when he recovered, Gaara pushed him away roughly. This terrified Naruto, Gaara had always been gentle with him, but the look in his eyes told Naruto he was livid.

"Naruto, if you need me, don't hide it, tell me. Understand? Don't ever, ever worry about being a burden to me, or even think that something you do or day will push me away from you. I love you, and you can't change that. I will never force you to do something you do not wish to do. You are always safe with me, so don't hold back. Alright?"

Naruto nodded his head and Gaara embraced him, giving him a gentle kiss.

"I love you Naruto."

"I love you too Gaara."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Tsunade baa-chan and Sakura-chan

I'm better now, so you don't have to worry about me. And don't like Sakura-chan, I saw your face. And Tsunade baa-chan always worries about me, but she thinks no one notices. I'm coming home soon; I want to spend time with my Gaara.

"**You know you wrote 'My Gaara…right?"**

"_Does he even realize that he said 'my Gaara'?"_

"**Yeah, I always know what I'm doing."**

"_Probably not, this is Naruto."_

"**True."**

"True" 

Oh, and Gaara said that he had something he wanted to talk with Tsunade baa-chan about, so him and Temari-chan would be coming home with me.

"**Temari-chan?"**

"**Yeah, she said I could."**

"…"

"**Gaara, she's the sister of my boyfriend"**

"…**True"**

Though I think Temari-chan just wants to see Shikamaru…maybe you should warn him?

"…**Shikamaru and Temari?"**

"Temari and Shikamaru?" 

"**Yeah, I caught them together when I came back from training with Ero-sennin."**

"_Yep."_

"…**Interesting."**

"…_Interesting."_

Oi, oi, has Iruka-sensei confessed his love for Kakashi-sensei yet? Because he really needs to do that before they're old and gray…if they even get that old. Though Kakashi-sensei's already gray…

"**How do you know that Iruka's in love with Kakashi?"**

"Iruka…and Kakashi?" 

"**Gaara, Iruka-sensei's the closest thing to a father I've got. We're really close."**

"I had always wondered…" 

"…**Close?"**

"I wonder how Naruto knows…" 

"**Gaara, the only one I love is you. I tell you everything. Iruka-sensei only gets most of it."**

"_Oh really, this is Naruto."_

"…**does he know?**

"_True."_

"**of course he knows."**

Sakura-chan, I have a question. How far have you and Lee gotten.

"_What a rude question."_

"_Well?"_

"_We…I don't say."_

Because if I get farther before you I'll be sad.

"**Aren't you planning to do just that?"**

"Before you?" 

"**Yeah, but she doesn't know that."**

"…_I didn't give you the whole story. Naruto has someone."_

"**A little push?"**

"…"

"**Something like that."**

Hey, Tsunade baa-chan, I figured I'd tell you this sometime when I was far away and Ero-sennin was pretty close to you, so this is a perfect opportunity. During the three years away training with him, I was forced to listen to several drunken tirades about how much he was in love with you.

"…_WHAT?"_

Whatever the rest of Naruto's letter said, neither one of them got to read it, as it was most likely destroyed when Tsunade went on the warpath after Jiraya.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"You think they got it by now?" Naruto asked Gaara in between kisses.

"Definitely." Gaara raked his hands down Naruto's back.

"Ero-sennin…is going to kill me." Naruto moaned as Gaara sucked on his neck.

"Not if I'm there." Gaara gently pulled Naruto's earlobe into his mouth with his tongue, earning him a sharp intake of breath.

"And not if Tsunade baa-chan kills him first." Naruto wined as Gaara placed cold hands at the waistband of his boxers.

Gaara growled and pushed Naruto onto his back. "Don't think of them when you're with me." He whispered into Naruto's ear, sending his breath over it.

Naruto moaned his compliance as he wrapped his legs around Gaara's waist and stole another kiss. "Love you, Gaara."

"Love you too." He answered, before delving his hand into unknown territory.


	4. Chapter 4

For the first time, Naruto woke up gently in Gaara's arms. Not screaming like so many nights before. Half asleep, he smiled at Gaara's sleeping face and nuzzled further into the warmth of naked Gaara-chest. He felt arms tighten around his waist and mumbled something completely unintelligible, even to him.

"Naruto" a whispered voice

"Mmm?" Naruto looked up groggily and felt lips descend on his own. He moaned into them, still incoherent.

"Naruto, ready to start home today?"

"Nnn." Naruto groaned in response, latched his hands around Gaara's shoulders, and rolled to lie on top of him. "Pillow."

It was Gaara's laughter which finally woke Naruto. He had never before seen Gaara laugh with such joyful abandon. He was always controlled in some way, but not here. He was full-out eyes-closed-head-back laughing. Gaara's moment of joy was broken when he felt a tear fall onto his chest and looked up to see Naruto crying. His smile immediately became an expression of worry.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I just suddenly started crying."

"But you're alright?"

"I guess so but…I mean…crying out of nowhere…that's a little odd right? So maybe I'm not alright?"

"Naruto, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now."

"What?"

"Did you love Sasuke?"

"I did." Naruto paused before he continued. He knew this discussion would be hard on him, and that it might even end in Gaara abandoning him, though he wished with all his heart that would not be the end that came. "He broke my heart when he left, yes. When you helped me put it back together…he took his piece with him, it wasn't there anymore. There wasn't room in my heart for him anymore, only for you. But I'm damaged Gaara, could you still love me?"

"Always Naruto, but you understand my curiosity?"

Naruto nodded

"What did you do with him?"

"He used to hold me, when nobody else was around. He let me cry on his shoulder sometimes, when a villager had been extra mean and I needed to. Kissed me every so often, nothing more, but oh how I dreamed. I don't dream of him anymore. The only touch I long for now is yours Gaara, only yours."

"You got over him that quickly?"

"No, it took me a long time. It was so hard without you Gaara, he'd haunt me in my dreams when you weren't there to hold me. Ero-sennin never found out, he's a heavy sleeper, but he did notice when I was distracted a lot. I found that, when I thought of you Gaara, it was easier. It was hard, but I pulled through it."

"And this time?"

"I had still valued his opinion; I had though he hadn't changed much more than Sakura and I, but he has changed so much…my Sasuke exists only in my memories. The betrayal this time was no more or less painful than that of a close friend."

"A close friend?"

"He was the first person my age to accept me. He was my first friend, by first love, but Gaara…a first love doesn't always mean a forever love."

"You're mine, my first love."

"I'm…glad." Gaara moved to speak again, but Naruto stopped him before he could. "Gaara, please. Sasuke is in my past now. I don't love him, I love you. I don't want to talk about him anymore Gaara, please." Naruto's expression was pleading, imploring, and pained.

"You said his name."

"For you Gaara, so you will believe me, so you will not abandon me, so you will know that I-" Naruto's voice cracked and he laid his head on Gaara's shoulder, almost leaking tears through his poorly formed dam, though he tried so hard to keep it sturdy. "that I love you."

When Gaara placed a hand on his back, Naruto could hold back no longer. He sobbed into the warm shoulder of the man he now loved.

"I told you before," Gaara whispered "I will _never _abandon you. **_Never_**."

By the time Temari came for them, Naruto had fallen asleep, and Gaara looked sad and pained. "He doesn't trust me Tem, he doesn't trust me not to abandon him. He thinks the moment he does is when I will."

"You two are both fighting your way up the river, you're stuck in up-hill battles. It will be hard for a time."

"I know, but that doesn't make it less painful." Gaara stood, holding Naruto with one hand while he strapped on his gourd, and walked out the door behind his sister.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"You're not going to wake him?"

"…no, he needs to rest for now. I will wake him when I need to."

"…right."


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto did not wake during the day while they traveled as Temari had expected, nor that night when they made camp. It was when they stopped at a stream on the second day of travel that Temari asked what she had been wondering.

"Gaara, did you use the forced-sleep jutsu on him?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"He hasn't been sleeping. Nightmares. I am going to wake him up soon, though"

"Did you ask his permission first?"

"…sort of."

Temari sighed "Gaara."

"I didn't ask him, he asked me."

"He what?"

"He asked me to keep him asleep until we were close enough to Konoha that we couldn't go back to Suna."

"He didn't…"

"No, he didn't want to go back."

Three hours later, they were still discussing the boy sleeping in Gaara's arms.

"What could be so bad for him to be so against going back that he has to be unconscious to do it?"

"I don't know, Tem. He used to be so strong. Before Sasuke-" He stopped when Naruto winced and mumbled

"…He's not supposed to do that…right?"

The question was a reasonable one; those under the influence of the forced-sleep jutsu were not supposed to be coherent in any way.

"No, but he is someone with increadable power. I'm going to cancel it when we make camp, who knows what's going on if he's having dreams."

Temari was far enough away from the two that night when they made camp that she didn't hear Naruto when Gaara woke him. She did return, however, to find Naruto awake, and went to talk to him. She was intercepted en route and pulled aside by Gaara.

"Tread lightly, he's sulking."

"Sulking?"

Her only answer was a nod before he faded back into the night.

"Hey Naruto." She said with a wave as she walked up.

"Hi." he replied in a very un-naruto-like grunt.

"It's a beautiful night." Temari set herself beside him and looked up at the sky.

"Maybe"

"Don't you want to see your friends again?" She looked at him without averting her face from the sky.

"Yeah"

"Then why don't you want to go home?" Temari leanned forward over her crossed legs and looked at him.

"I don't want to lie anymore."

"Then don't."

"But I'm not ready to tell the truth."

"...You're wierd." Temari laid back and rested her head on her hands.

"You know, Tem, Shikamaru does that all the time."

"Yes, I know."

Naruto chuckled lightly before he got up to follow in the direction Gaara had left.

* * *

YAAAY!!

Finally!!

I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I guess I've really gotten lazy XD

Right, so, I haven't written chapter 6 yet.. but I'll put it up when I do

See you then


	6. Chapter 6

Some of you may have noticed I've been poking around, making some edits, and maybe got a little bit excited. I know I've been gone a long time and for that I apologize but I'm back now, and I believe that I return to you as a better writer and a better person. I hope you enjoy my first full-fleged new chapter since my return, added to my most popular story. I'd like to thank all of you who've stuck with me, and especially those who review. Nothing lifts my day like a review! I do so hope to see more of those, I love them so much. Hope to see you again soon with my next update!

* * *

"Will you stay with me a while?"  
"A few days Naruto, nothing more. I have business in Konoha and so does Temari but once it is finished I must return to Suna."

"Gaara..." Temari attempted to intervene in their conversation, seeing before either of them where it was going, but was ignored, or wasn't heard.

"I know but...I thought that..."

"No, you don't think! As Kazekage, I have obligations to my village and my people. You know this, you can't be selfish." Gaara turned and walked away, but Naruto stopped moving entirely.

"Naruto?" Temari approached him cautiously. A hand on his shoulder was all she needed to know how badly he was shaking, and his mental state was obvious in that he clearly didn't know what do do with his hands, which were moving awkwardly into different positions. "Naruto...are you alright?"

"I can't...Temari...Not again...I can't."

Naruto could no longer hold himself upright and were it not for Temari, who lowered him slowly to the ground, he would have collapsed onto it. Frustrated tears leaked out of his eyes as he leaned back against her. Before he curled in on himself she did a preliminary assessment: heartbeat and breathing erratic, shaking uncontrollably, cold sweat, pupils dilated, eyes pale. "Dammit," she whispered to herself. Temari could do nothing but rest an arm around Naruto's shoulders as he fell apart in front of her. There were few things Temari hated more than being helpless, but helpless she was.

* * *

Shikamaru listened to Temari with one ear and watched with half an eye. One of his fingers covered the other as his head rested on his hand; she'd been pacing the room since just after he'd arrived. It wasn't until he noticed a slight tremor in her hands that he got up and held her, aligning his arms with hers and covering her hands with his own, he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"He'll be alright, they'll both be alright. Naruto is more resilient than you'd think."

"You can't know that for sure"

"No, nothing is certain, but I know Naruto and he'll pull through this, with or without Gaara."  
"You can't think..." Temari pulled away and turned to look at him. She hadn't even considered...

"No, I think they'll reconcile," Shikamaru said with a shrug "It's just I also think Gaara will be pulled away before Naruto stops needing him."

"I'll stay. If Gaara has to leave, I'll stay. I'm not him but I'm close, a link, _something_! Why did he do that, it was so unlike him."

"I'm sure he's just stressed."  
"Stressed?"  
"They'll work it out."

* * *

"What the hell did you do to him?!"

Gaara had been taken completely by surprise by the punch that had just been delivered to his face by a pink-haired kunoichi with a blazing fire of anger in her eyes. Sakura had interrupted the meeting only moments before for the purpose.

"What—"

"Naruto! What could you possibly have done to him to make him relapse this badly!" Sakura screeched through her tears.

"What?"

"He's blind, he's in the hospital, I had to _do_ something, I'm _sorry_," she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "Sorry." But Gaara had already gone. The only one left to witness was Lee, who had followed her. He held her and said nothing.

* * *

Naruto didn't turn when he heard the door opened, nor when the achingly familiar footfalls sounded across the room, stopping only most of the way to his bed. He continued to stare at nothing in the direction of the corner of the room.

"Naruto..."  
"What did I do wrong? Was I too possessive? Too annoying? Too much of a burden? What!? What did I do? _Tell _me. Tell me so I can _fix_ it. What did I _do_?!"

"You didn't do anything it's just—"

"Then why do you hate me."

"I don't hate you I—" Gaara stopped when he saw a tear roll down Naruto's cheek. He moved to catch it, brush it away, but was startled with a rather vicious "Don't touch me" and retracted his hand.

Gaara understood.

This...they couldn't just wipe it away, pick up the pieces and move on. He had acted like _that_ person. That person who had caused Naruto so much pain for so long, and that was unforgivable in his own eyes. He couldn't forgive himself, how could he ask Naruto to.

He collapsed into a heap outside the door while Naruto curled into a ball and cried on the other side of it.

How were they ever going to fix this?


	7. Chapter 7

Gaara stood in a doorway to the outside, leaned against the frame holding yet another letter from his sister.

Naruto was getting worse by the day. Nightmares kept him awake, he alternated between wandering around like a ghost and lashing out unpredictibally, he wouldn't eat, and he was still blind. Gaara had found himself recently in a much similar state.

He felt he was failing. Not just as a lover, but a leader as well. He couldn't give his full concentration to his work as Kazekage, and could do nothing for Naruto.

He rested his head on his left hand and clutched the letter, and the doorway, in his right. He felt hands on his shoulder at the same time that the first tremor shook his body.

Kankuro had never seen his brother cry. If he had, it wasn't a time that he himself remembered. But now, Gaara turned into his elder brother and did just that.

* * *

Temari alternated between wanting to hit him and needing to hold him. He so quickly changed between pathetic and volitile, people had stopped visiting; everyone but his closest had just stayed away.

Right now she wanted to hit him. He was sitting there staring at nothing like he was damaged goods.

She was completely pissed at him, had to leave. walk around, see Shikamaru, _something_. She couldn't stay here.

She settled for slamming the door on the way out.

* * *

Sakura was completely fed up. She knew Naruto better than anyone else in the village. She'd cried with him, laughed with him, lost and greived with him.

But this...this was not Naruto. She'd agreed with Lee on that.

She finally broke when she saw Temari storm out.

Naruto needed sense knocked into him, and if nobody else would do it...

She steeled herself. Nomatter what, Naruto needed to come back, and she was the onlt one here who could do it.

* * *

A bruised and bloody Naruto recieved a letter from Gaara later that night. Coincidentaly, it arrived just after he's sent one of his own, but far too soon to be a reply.

They'd both been stupid, both made mistakes, but they had time. Time to work out the kinks (both kinds, he smirked), and they were going to use it.

Naruto kissed the letter he held in his hands. He could see now, though rather poorly.

He hoped, by the time Gaara could come again, he would be able to watch hin approach from far down the road.

He'd learned much in the time he'd been blind.

He knew most of the people of Konoha by the way they felt, the way they sounded, and the way they smelled.

This also helped him read emotions. Sakura walked one way when she felt happy, another when she was down, and still another when she was angry. He'd learned this for most of the shinobi, and luistened for it always.

Even so, it saddened him that he only knew the sound of Gaara's worried footsteps.

* * *

And there you are!

The rest of Chapter 7

I do hope you enjoy it.

the next chapter will tbe the last one in Everything Looks Different in the Light.  
Look for it on either christmas or christmas eve :P


	8. Chapter 8

Here it is, as promised, my christmas present to those of you who are still reading: The Final chapter (also nicknamed Finally home)

This will be the last chapter in the light portion, though it will, by no means, be my last ventre into the world I've created with ELDIT.

So enjoy this, and know as well: there is always more to come.

* * *

His hair was longer now; he hadn't cut it since the last time he'd seen Gaara. It blew in the wind by now, though not long enough to cover his shoulders. He missed Gaara more than he could say, more than anything, but he'd gotten by. He always would, even if he did need to be kicked in sometimes. 

He heard footsteps coming behind him and closed his eyes to better hear. He couldn't decipher them. They were familiar footsteps with an unfamiliar feeling, footsteps in an emotion he hadn't heard them fall before. Try as he might he could not give these footsteps a face, though his heart felt no danger.

It was the feeling of gentle arms around his waist that made him remember. The chin on his shoulder after a gentle kiss to his ear.

They were footsteps of love, footsteps of Gaara.

Naruto leaned back into the embrace, relaxing into the arms of his suna shinobi with a sigh and only one thought on his mind:

_Finally Home._


End file.
